Writing in a column, he said: “Yes, they [the Premier League] are writing to ask why I did it and I will explain every step. When I do that, I am sure it will be the end of the matter.” Yet when I tackled Holloway about his intemperate response to questions after the Villa game, he said: “I was probably wrong. I should be calm at all times, but I’m not.”

He also apologised after criticising Wolves boss Mick McCarthy, whose club were hit by a suspended fine for sending out a weakened team at Old Trafford 11 months ago.

The get-out for the Premier League is that clubs have had to name a 25-man squad, with restrictions. That was not the case last season when McCarthy ran up the white flag against United. And on weakened teams, how long can Avram Grant delude himself that bad luck and poor refereeing are keeping West Ham at the foot of the table? Here, only Rob Green, Scott Parker and Mark Noble, could say: “I did OK”.

Grant wanted penalties for one ‘foul’ and what looked like an unintentional handball. But the most clear-cut error by officials arrived when a Marlon Harewood ‘goal’ was disallowed for offside.